The following invention relates to a rotisserie oven. More particularly, although not exclusively, the invention relates to an oven for rotationally cooking chicken pieces or other food items in a commercial food outlet.
It is known to cook food articles on a rotating skewer. Such skewers might be rotatably driven within an oven space or adjacent to a radiating heat source and rotate about a fixed axis. After a preset or estimated cooking time, the food article and/or skewer must be manually removed. If continued cooking occurs, the food article can dry out and lose its succulence. In fast food outlets, it is known to provide a chain conveyor-mounted array of horizontal skewers that circulate continuously past a radiational heat source. Typically, whole chickens or chicken pieces are mounted on the skewers and rotate continuously around an around past the heat source until they are removed individually in accordance with customer demand. In unexpected periods of low demand, the pieces continue to rotate past the heat source and dry out, therefore losing their succulence and become unappetizing.
Another problem associated with known rotisserie ovens and the like is that the skewers themselves must be recycled and cleaned after every use.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome or substantially ameliorate at least one of the above disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rotisserie oven for food articles, having improved through-put and providing cooked articles of good succulence and palatability.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rotisserie oven in which the skewers are removed automatically from the oven when the food articles are cooked.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a rotisserie oven that produces cooked food articles on a skewer that is intended to accompany the food articles at sale.
There is disclose herein a rotisserie oven comprising:
a heat source,
a continuous conveyor mounted adjacent the heat source,
a plurality of skewer holding devices affixed along the conveyor, each for holding a skewer adjacent the heat source while being conveyed therepast by the conveyor,
a respective turning device attached to each skewer holding device for rotating each skewer as it is conveyed past the heat source, and
a skewer detachment device adjacent the conveyor and cooperative with each skewer holding device to detach any skewer attached thereto as the skewer holding devices pass the skewer detachment device in use.
Preferably the conveyor comprises a pair of parallel chains, each forming an endless loop.
Preferably the respective turning devices are pinion gears and the oven further comprises a fixed rack along which the pinion gears mesh to effect rotation thereof.
Preferably the skewer holding devices each comprise a peg having two arms, a first arm being fixed to a link of one of said chains and the second arm being pivotable with respect to the first arm.
Preferably, the oven further comprises a skewer attachment device having a fixed bearing surface against which the skewer holding device bears to allow attachment of a skewer thereto effect pivotting a skewer therefrom.
Alternatively the skewer holding devices each comprise a clamp activatable by a respective pusher that moves in a direction transverse to the extent of each chain, the pusher cooperating with a bearing surface at one end of the conveyor to detach a skewer.